Remembrance
by twotailedxxcat
Summary: He went off to war and never came back. The army was on her doorsteps with the news. A body was never found. She was pregnant with his child. One-Shot!


_Remembrance_

An Inuyasha One Shot

By: twotailedxxcat

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own any of the original Inuyasha charries, no matter how much I wished.

* * *

The waves washed across the sandy beach, darkening the sand, then receding. So many things come and go. Lasting for a fleeting second in time but creating a memory that could be there when you wanted to uncover it from it's dusty box and put away when you no longer wanted to be showered in the remembrance.

A pair of dark eyes scanned over the beach, taking in every last detail. Perhaps it would be the last time she saw this beach or rather any beach. Perhaps she would never see something beautiful and extravagant again. Perhaps, just perhaps, she might find something ever the more beautiful and no longer relish in the beauty of the ocean but something else.

Her dark hair danced with the sudden breeze. The smell of the salty ocean water tingled and stung at her nose. The feel of the sand squishing between her toes and the sound were something truly remarkable and memorable. The water washing over her feet, chilling them for a second, before letting them warm again.

At times like these, when she was all alone. She could remember his face, the way his lips were shaped and the depth in his gorgeous amber eyes when he finally let his emotion show. She could remember the feel of his skin against hers; his rough, calloused hands that stroked her cheeks, her neck, and yet so carefully grasped her hands with his. She could remember how he danced with a sword gracefully but frightening, the way his velvet-smooth voice massaged her ears. Sometimes, she could even remember the feel of his muscular arms around her.

And it was time like these, when she was all alone and remembering him, that tears stung at her eyes in a different way than how the smell of the ocean water stung at her nose. Because the dusty box that was filled with his remembrance was, in fact, rather empty. It never seems possible to fall for the one guy whom would kill you in the blink of an eye. But it always happens that the good innocent girl falls for the villain - whom is actually, not as heartless as he is made out to be.

It has been said that love, true love, is the hardest to find. Some do not even realize they have it until it is gone. Some do not even realize they had it at all. She wondered, at night, if he had realized that they had it. If he had ever though about her while he was out. If he had thought of his return home.

She did.

She could still hear the clash of metal on metal, the explosions, the never ending screams. Her soft, delicate, features turned into a scowl as she sneered. Then, her taught face once again became soft as she looked downward. Her creamy and soft hands grasping each other, her heart clenched as her breath came to a stop.

"Kagome." She heard it like she had heard it so many times before. His voice. The same one she heard when she opened her dusty box with his name on it. The same one that could make her heart melt. The same one that could now, after losing him, bring tears to her eyes.

The general had told her he had been lost in the battle, the great son of Lord Inutashio. The next great dog of the Western Lands. He had told her that his body had not been found. All that was left was his tattered and bloody clothing. Oh yes, it had hurt. That day, in fact for months, she had cried her eyes out to the point they were raw. She locked herself in the room. The room they had shared for such a short time as his soon-to-be.

She heard him say her name in the midst of her mind like she always did. She had been fighting for three years now to forget it, to ignore it. Sadly, her attempts were in vain.

Every time.

She had told her best friend, her sister, and partner in crime - Sango, that she had given up on him. Deep down, the hope was still there. The burning flame she had for him was still there. And deep down, she knew that the great Lord Sesshomaru would never go down easy.

"Okaa?"

The sound of her own title, mother, brought her to her senses. Quickly shutting the box of Sesshomaru and her memories with him, she decided she would remember him later - when she was alone.

Turning to her child, she saw the young boy's black hair that spiked and was not long like his Uncle Inuyasha or his father's. He was only two but could talk like he was five and walk just as well. The demon in him kept his body growing at a fast past. 'He'll start to slow down soon.' she thought to her self.

Looking in his bright amber eyes, she saw his father once more. Sighing, she kneeled down and grabbed his hands. "Would you like to hear a story, Sotaru?" Daybreak, that is what Sotaru meant. Daybreak was Sesshomaru favorite part of the day.

The young boy grinned, showing off his set of pearly white fangs. They had traveled to America for a year - Kagome had told the council it was to keep Sotaru safe from the war. In truth, it was to keep her safe from the torture of spending every moment remembering her fallen fiance.

Tomorrow they would be leaving for Japan, heading to the one place where she never wanted to return.

"Not to long ago, a great dog lord ruled his kingdom under a firm and steady hand. He was feared by all and respected by all. Loved by one. Many told the lord that his wife was the beauty of the land, no one was fairer or wiser. It was said that a dog lord couldn't marry a human wife because their children wouldn't survive but they didn't care, it was fate. Then, the great dog lord went off to war and didn't come back. But he gave his life for his love - the one whom he wanted to be with for a life time. She was crushed by the news, but knew that inside her was a small baby whom would turn out to be one of the greatest rules the western kingdom had ever seen. The end!" She said as she tickled him. They had already returned into the vacation beach home and gotten him ready and tucked into bed. "Now go to sleep!

"Momma! That story was too short! I'm not sleepy!" Sotaru whined, but his soft amber eyes had already started to drift to sleep. Lightly kissing him on the nose, she whispered her love for him and a sweet goodnight before retiring to her room.

* * *

"Mom, is this her?" Sotaru asked his mother. The small bundle in her arms squirmed as he asked. Her eyes opened - chocolate. Just like his mother's. He could already tell she would be her spitting image. Kagome nodded as the newborn suckled, hungry as if it had not been fed in the womb that she carried her in for six months. Suddenly, she felt a presence beside her. The same presence she felt all the time. 'Sesshomaru'

She knew it was far fetched, that he had long since gone. But she only hoped, how she hoped, that he would come back - so she could feel his warm arms around her once more. It had been ten years since she received the news, four years since she had finally stopped grieving.

She had never stopped remembering.

"Hikari" Her soft voice said to her son. Her husband could not be there for the birth of his daughter, he was gone due to political issues from the North. But she knew that he would love her the second he set eyes on her. 'He loves her already.'

"She is gorgeous, mom." He said. Sotaru was already in training for his position. He was supposed to be at the dojo but he knew that he couldn't leave his mother. His baby sister. They needed him right now - now matter how much his father could leave on business. 'I will always be here for you, okaa.' It was a silent promise he had not spoken while she passed out - Hikari to the side of her. Grabbing Hikari, he smiled. He held his baby sister for the first time, his first sibling.

She opened her eyes at him and it was there that he saw it - in the corner was a flash of white. The first thought that came into his mind, 'Father.' He had seen the paintings of him, the second Great Dog lord. Suddenly his back felt warm - like he was getting a pat on the back. He knew it was far fetched, but he couldn't help it. He just knew it was him.

Hikari giggled, grabbing one of Sotaru's long dark tresses - pulling. Oh yes, Rebellious and playful.

'She will be the spitting image of Okaa.'

* * *

His long black haired had grown far past his shoulders, his deep amber eyes were wise beyond his years. A black and fluffy tail, closely resembling that of his father's, wrapped tightly around his waist. He stood on the balcony of his room.

His room was large and spacious, much too big for just himself.

Turning to the sound of the soft mewls and barks below him, he saw his pups. Two tufts of black hair and a tuft of silver. They wrestled with the other pups that stayed inside the castle walls. They were not pure-blooded but you could never tell. His mother's miko powers had done wonders on him, making him seem pure-blooded. The youngest was a girl, having her mother's blue hair and light blue eyes - Yuri. The second oldest had silver hair and amber eyes, he was gifted and it was sure that he would be a great ruler one day. His name was Sesshomaru. His first born was a boy, with the same features as himself. A spitting image. Soichi was smart but rebellious. 'Just like Hikari'

Hikari was Sotaru's younger sister, while she was not his full-sister they were still siblings and loved each other. She was the spitting image of his mother - having her beauty as well. Kagome had married a daimyo, since the Western lands needed a king. His hair was silver and his eyes were amber. 'Uncle-Inu.' While he was never his father, he understood his mother's views. His uncle and step-father was still the second Lord in line for the thrown and was the only old enough to take it. Inuyasha had been Sotaru's father figure as long as he could remember.

In fact, Hikari wasn't his only sibling. He had two others as well. Taedo and Takeshi were his youngest siblings, twin brothers. Both were generals in the Western Army, and were good at it. None of his half siblings were half-bloods, all were pure-blooded.

A soft voice below him came to his attention. She had long, bright blue hair that cascaded down her back followed by blue stripes on either cheek. Her makeup was never worn unless on an occasion outside the castle or an event inside the castle. Her body was slender even though she had three pups. She was inu youkai, of course, and they were in love.

He had heard before, from someone very wise, that true love was hard to come by and even harder to keep. Turai had shown that is was hard to keep, they had many fights and in fact were even close to not being mated either. It was work to keep her, but he knew it was worth it.

A gasp behind him made him turn his head. "Mother!" He exclaimed. Kagome did not look old, but was in fact 107. For her human body, it made it hard for her to live this long. But she did and she did well. Hikari, Taedo, and Takeshi sat across from her bed - staring at her. They knew it was time and they hated it - with a burning passion. Hikari had come all the way from her place as Lady of the North to see her mother. Her only pup was still in her stomach and she had hoped that her mother would make it to see her child.

Two pair of amber eyes and two sets of chocolate stared at her, all surrounding her bedside.

"Would you like to hear a story?"

It came as a shock to them.

Takeshi stared as his mother, eyes wide. "Mom. This isn't a time for-" He earned a slap on the shoulder from his sister.

Her chocolate eyes turned back to the beautiful, dying, miko. "We would love to, mom."

Using hand gestures, she asked her children to gather around her closer. On the bed like how they did when they were children before they went to sleep - those nights that Inuyasha was not at home or was in his office.

Crawling around her, Takeshi and Taedo sat at her legs, Hikari laid her head on her mother's chest as Sotaru did the same.

"It was a long time ago, before the four of you were born, a great dog Lord reigned over the Western lands. He had a forgotten full-blooded son and another son, a hanyou. He gave his life for his second son, for his human wife. Never realizing the hate he would instill in his sons for what he had done - for leaving his first behind and for leaving the second in the hands of the merciless." She gasped for air.

"The first had grown up hateful, spiteful, and cold in a world run by power and vengence. A dream to be the best, to better his father. The second had grown up being hated for what he was and wasn't. One side hated that he wasn't a full demon, the other hated the he had any demon in him at all. Even his own brother had turned him away.

In each way, it was hard for both of them. All the first did was work and train. All the second did was hope to be seen equal, to be loved. That was what he sought for." Her eyes closed.

"The first had never realized what love was, had believed there was no such a thing. He had believed that humans and 'love' killed his father - and he did not want to be killed. But this change when the heart of a miko came to him. She was spit fire and she didn't take his 'macho' act. In fact, she was pretty darn bad-ass!" Kagome's, now grown, children laughed. They knew this story was about her, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha. But something always changed, each time she told the story.

"It took a while, but he warmed up to her and she did to him. They were in love and he couldn't even admit it to himself at first. Truly, he was scared. Scared to fall into the same 'trap' his father had. But he didn't care. It was said that a miko and a demon could never have kids together, their kids would never survive. That didn't matter to them either. After they had announced their engagement, the miko showed to the Western lands that she was everything any demoness could be and more. The western lands had not approved at first, but she slowly won them over. The council, as well as the people - human and demon alike, decided she was the most fair and most wise. She was an eternal beauty whom would never fade, they said. She went down in history. She always had something new up her sleeve, and it kept the people yearning for more. She was brave, courageous, strategic. That was all it took to win the council over." She smiled, because she was erasing the dust on all of the boxes as she opened them.

Remembrance.

By now, Inuyasha had walked into the room. He sat at the foot of the bed. He too, had heard this story and knew that every time she told it once more - something else was added.

"Then the war started, the western lands were drawn into it. It was not they're war to fight, but they would help. That's what allies did. It was two against two. The northern and western lands seemed to have the upper-hand. The army wasn't falling easy but the other land's had people dropping like wild-fire."

She wasn't too far into the story and he too, opened his own dusty boxes - remembering.

"It was four months after the war had started. The Lord hadn't come home. The Sargent General sent three messengers to the castle with a scroll. The Lord would not be coming home. His body was never found, his bloody clothes were all that remained. His betrothed had hurt, she cried for days. The people and the council cried with her, feeling her pain. It was cast across the Castle and all through the Western lands. But hope was budding slowly, in a few months - the new Lord would be born. He did not completely resemble his father, but he did so enough to make his mother hurt each time she looked into his deep amber eyes."

Sotaru closed his eyes, this was him she was talking about. He knew it couldn't have been helped, but it hurt.

"But she knew, that he would be one of the best Great Dog Lord's the Western Lands had ever seen. He was smart, and intelligent. All of the demoness loved him, as he was quite handsome. His power was unsurpassed, having the full-blooded youkai power in his veins as well as a touch of his mother's miko powers - it made him nearly untouchable. Five years after he was born it was made clear that the Western lands needed a new lord. The miko was at a loss. She was given one year to find a suitable Lord or she would be forced to give up her son's title. She knew that the late lord would have wanted his only child to be the new ruler - and she fought for his rights. She married his brother, the second. Unloved and hateful. While she was never in love with him,"

Inuyasha's heart clenched.

"She did love him with her whole heart. He was special, he was smart and certainly not cold. He was just as fit to be a ruler and stand as the Lord of the Western lands as his older brother was. He ruled the Western lands with a warm heart, thanks to his special miko, and a firm hand. He was fair and just - smart and cunning. He had changed a lot since the boy she had met at the tree. While he still had his anger issues and he still scared her that he would leave her for another, she knew that he did in fact love her. She was never sure if he was in love with her, but it didn't matter. It was five years after he had been crowned Lord that she gave birth to a baby girl. She was the spitting image of her mother; young, beautiful, and wild. She was rebellious but smart and always loved to laugh. Word spread quickly of the new-born of the Royal Western Land's family. The Western Lands were proud of the new young princess, they loved her. Her laugh could be heard through out the kingdom - putting a smile in their hearts. Every where she went, even as a young baby, she made friends with all whom saw her. She would be a heart-breaker. Several Lords asked to have their sons for an arranged marriage with her, even when she was just a young tike. Her mother had decided not to let her - her daughter would fall in love not be forced into a marriage with someone who could be a giant -"

"Mom! Language!" Hikari said increaduously and yet a huge smile graced her features as well as joined with a small laugh. Kagome looked to her daughter and laughed as well.

"Sorry, sorry!" She smiled, "The daughter was all that the kingdom had hoped for in a princess, much like her mother yet different in several ways. A few years after that, the Lady of the West had given birth to twins. Two boys. They were rebellious, wicked, and always had something up the small sleeves they wore. When they were young, they made up clever pranks on the kitchen staff like switching the salt and the sugar, or hiding the Pumpkins before the Pumpkin festival. " She glared at her twin teenaged boys. "But they were strong even at a young age. They quickly surpassed their brother in strength. They were both utterly strategic, but their oldest brother was the clever one. The oldest was named Lord as soon as he was of age - the previous Lord and Lady stepping down. During his coming out festival, announcing the new Official Lord to the public eye, he decided to promote his brother's as his Head Generals as well as his sister as his right hand. His sister planned every event, every festival, she dealt with all the things that made the kingdom flow. The Generals kept the Western Lands safe. The Lord, well, he did...everything else." She smiled.

Takeshi and Taedo smiled at their mother, their mischievous gleam in their eyes as they remembered the many pranks they played. And somehow, she knew what they were thinking because a gleam even more mischievous than their own appeared in her eyes - shocking them both.

"The eldest son, now the Lord of the Western Lands, found a beauty of his own. She was from the East and was an inu youkai just like him. They fell in love. But love is never easy to keep. This they found out the hard way. In fact, at one time, they almost called off their mating ceremony! The past lady talked to her, and the young girl saw just how much the new lord loved her. They were soon wed, a new Lady gracing the Western lands. With the new generals, the Lord's right-hand, and the new Lord and Lady - the western lands was seen as a threat every where. This also included over seas! Fate has it's own weird way of working things out - and even though the late Second Great Dog Lord died, the Western Lands still found love and compassion from his Lady, his brother, his neice, his nephews, and his son. Sadly, the young princess of the Western Lands - the lord's sister, fell in love as well. Although it was not truly sad, it was actually very glorious, the Western Lands would miss their mistress. She had fallen in love with the young prince of the Northern Lands and her parents and siblings couldn not have been more happy for her. The eldest son, the lord, then later had three beautiful pups. One, reminded him of his father, and so he named him after the late lord. "

Kagome's eyes started to close slowly. The word came off her lips slowly, softly, and gently.

"Sesshomaru"

It was his name.

The inu demons were afraid to move, afraid to find the truth in what they already knew. Afraid to see that their mother had finally done it.

That she was finally...gone.

* * *

Her eyes were closed as his name rolled of her lips. He had always loved her voice so very much, but he loved it even more when she said his name. This female human. It would have been a nightmare to a younger Sesshomaru if he had found out that he would marry a human, much less a miko! Now, however, he did not care. He did not care if she was only human. He did not care if she could make him feel things he spent his whole life trying to mask. He did not care that right now she probably didn't know she was dead.

And he did not care that he loved someone.

"Hai, Kagome?" He asked her, his smooth voice allowed her own name to roll of his lips. It was rare that he said her name, but he knew she loved it. At night, after he passed away, those nights where there were no Inuyasha - he would creep into bed beside her and wrap his arms around her. And somehow, she knew he was there because each time she would snuggle into him and she would say his name, softly and gently.

'He's not real, he's not real,' Kagome chanted in her mind - having _actually_ heard his voice this time. 'It's just a dream. I'll wake up any moment now.'

He had a low chuckle, something rare. Here, in this world, you didn't even have to speak. Telepathy was all around. It was the after-life, after all. He could hear everything she said. His little miko had made him soft, he never chuckled before she came. Hearing a soft sigh next to him, he turned to look. She was opening her eyes.

Before her, sitting cross legged with his head cocked, was a very real and very 'alive' Sesshomaru. His hair fell around his face as it always did, it was no longer and no shorter. He wore his white clothing that he had always worn - it was not tattered, not dirty. His amber eyes were not cold; there was depth there. And, as Kagome looked closer, love. Of course he had never said he loved her, but his actions proved he did well enough. He had said her name, he had chuckled, and now he was allowed emotion to show. What happened? This was so out-of-character for him.

He watched her chocolate eyes turn from depressed to happy, from happy to sad again, then from sad to confused. It was understandable, of course. She had just died and didn't know where she was and hadn't seen him for almost seventy four years. Yes, it was a long time but people change in a long time as well. She was sitting up now, her knees on the ground as she sat on her feet. She looked over his every feature, tracing it. His eyebrows, his eyes, the bridge of his nose, his cheekbones. _His lips. _She traced his collarbone, his shoulders, his chest, his arms, his stomach, his waist, his hips, and his muscular legs. She missed him so much she was dreaming of him - granted she dreamed of him a lot, actually. Kagome just couldn't believe it, he wasn't real.

Sesshomaru knew this might be hard for her, for his miko. But he knew that it was a must - she would spend the rest of 500 years with him before they were reincarnated together. He moved his hand, and touched her face. Cupping her cheek with his caloused palm. It took a moment for Kagome to register it, to register that her 'dream' he was actually touching her. That he felt real. Then she thought back to the last thing she remembered, her death bed. That was when the dam broke, when she could no longer hold it all in.

"Sesshomaru!" She cried as she slammed her body into his, her arms wrapped around her neck. He almost chuckled at her antics until he realized she was crying. He hated it when she cried, when Rin cried. He hated it when Sotaru cried, or Hikari, Taedo, and Takeshi. He watched over them all. But he couldn't comfort them from their nightmares like he wished, he couldn't congratulate them for their studies, for being generals. He couldn't help them spar or train. He was never there and, truth be told - he hated it, every last moment that he couldn't share with them. His heart ached.

He wrapped his arms around Kagome, his little miko, his mate. She leaned her head up and looked in his amber eyes, grabbing his face in her hands she touched her lips with his. How they had both longed for the feeling of touch between them again, longed for the other. How she missed it all. Now, she had it back. Even though she was dead, she didn't care because at least she could watch over her children and grand-children and make sure that they were okay. Besides, now she had Sesshomaru - her sesshomaru.

She smiled into the kiss and his hand that was placed on the base of him to deepen their kiss. His teeth nibbled at her bottom lip asking, practically begging, her for an entrance. She granted it. Their tongues met in a frenzy. They did a forbidden dance, and dance they did. It seemed to go on for ever, but they didn't mind.

"I was busy making preperations for your arrival, would you like to come see?" He asked looking up at her. Oh yes, he had spent the past 70 years making preperations as soon as he learned that she would be in this world with him. He had servants, servants that had also passed in death who wanted to work for Sesshomaru and his miko. This world, the after-life, was not pretty and rainbows. It looked just like the real world, it had people and it had war, hate, love, hurt. Those things you can never escape. Here, you even had a market and such where you bought stuff - afterall, you still needed a job in the afterlife.

Standing with him, he picked her up bridal saddle and ran as fast as he could to their home. Their castle.

And a true castle it was.

It was made from ivory stone, the detail was carved by the best artists he could find. It had seven floors and stretched for a quarter of a mile, the land stretched even farther. The doors and the outlines of the windows were made from pure oak. All of the glass in the castle was made from dragon glass - the glass made from melting sand with a dragon's fire. It had gardens galore, the front garden had white and yellow roses. The east garden was filled with trees such as cherry and orange. They had tulips and daffodiles, they had gorgeous but common flowers. The south garden was filled with purples, greys, and blues. It was magnificent. However, the west garden, held moon flowers and miko tulips. These flowers were the purest of pure and could calm the soul of anyone and anything. The miko flowers were named after the great Midoriko, whom planted a flower seed with her own miko powers inside it - to see how it would bloom. It was a white flower with a purple-ish hue to it, it had no thorns and no pricks. The moon flower is a white flower named from the goddes of the moon - the flower that belongs to the white inu youkai. The inu youkai who, as it is fabled, came from the moon goddess.

It had twenty one bedrooms, the twenty first being their own room. It was dark, only lit by candles and the light from the large balcony that, at night, looked directly toward the moon. The bed was made from the wood of a Higashi tree and was of the most beautiful dark wood color. The bedsheets were of the purest silk spun by Sesshomaru himself. They were the color purple of his crest and his markings on his body. It was fluff with ten pillows made from the softest cotton and feathers.

The other bedrooms of course were ment for guests and family. He had one designed for Sotaru, Hikari, Taedo and Takeshi. Even Inuyasha. He had came to accept Inuyasha after seeing how well he had run the castle in his absense, how Inuyasha had prayed to him. He had even said once that he wished he was still there. At night, after Inuyasha had passed out at his desk, Sesshomaru would slip into his dreams and help him there. Telling him how to accomplish it and giving his younger brother hints. Even sometimes called him his younger brother in their dream chats. Of course, Inuyasha had told his wife about them, she always believed it was really Sesshomaru and not Inuyasha's imagination.

Inuyasha believed otherwise.

Sesshomaru smiled at his wife, yes, here she was his wife and no one else's. Her eyes were wide and her smile was bright as he nudged his nose into her neck. With a kiss on her lips, soft and chaste. He whispered in her ears for only her to here.

"Welcome back, love."

* * *

The ceremony was hold three days after her death. It was in the field of moonflowers planted outside the castle. The royal graveyard. Not only had all of the villager's from the Western Lands come, but so did the other Lords and Ladies, minor and major. It was spring and it was beautiful. The royal family stood around her casket on top of a large granite stone tomb about a foot off the ground, with steps. It had been built for Sesshomaru, where he laid. And it was most beffiting to have his true love right next to him. Inuyasha, Hikari and her husband, Sotaru, Stoaru's mate and children, Taedo, Takeshi, and Kai.

Kai was a beautiful neko inuyoukai who was a servant in the Western Army, Kagome saw this and decided that she would be her right-hand lady. They were the best of friends, a true friendship that would last for eternity. Kai cried before the ceremony had even started, she cried during, she cried after. Kagome had been her best friend for over fifty years and it was hard to just see her go. But she knew that Sesshomaru and Kagome would be looking down on her to watch the royal children as they grew and prospered. They would also be looking down to watch her.

Inuyasha's long white hair swayed as the wind picked up a bit. The birds had quieted down as soon as the monk had started to speak. The monk's words came out of his mouth smoothly and calmly, but Inuyasha hadn't heard them. He thought back to when she found him on the tree, how he had tried to kill her and only wanted her dead. Why? She looked like Kikyo. Now, he could only have wished he had one more second with her. She was the first to truly accept him for who he was, she gave him his life...a life. She gave him a family. She gave him love. All the things he had ever wanted, ever dreamed of, his fantasies that he had only thought could happen if he was human. But no, they happened for him as a half demon. Because of this girl, this young and gorgeous miko, the little family he did have finally recognized, acknowledged, and cared for him.

Granted the full-blooded side that weren't his kids didn't nessecarily love him, he didn't care. They still noticed him and praised him instead of turning him away. How he had yearned, his whole life, for moments like those he had experienced because of Kagome.

He was nudged by Sotaru, looking to his nephew/adopted son he heard his words. "It's time to go speak up."

Inuyasha nodded as he walked to where the monk had stood. He cleared his throat as he looked out to the crowd, the people, his people. His friends, his children, his grand-children. His family.

"I once heard, from someone very special, that love is hard to find and even harder to keep. Some people never even realize they had it, even after it was gone." His eyes scanned the crowd. He saw shopkeepers, clerks, weavers, gypsies, children, farmers, militia, mercenaries, generals, armed men, lords, and ladies. There, in the back, he saw the transparent silouhettes of Kagome and Sesshomaru - side by side as they looked at him, encouraging him.

"Kagome and I, we were not in love but we did love each other. She was my best friend, my wife, the mother to my children. She gave me everything I could have ever hoped for, dreamed of. She gave me love, friendship, a family. She gave me my life, a life, and a pretty freaking good one too. In fact, when we first met, I tried to kill her thinking she was someone else. Now, I could only wish for one more second with her. To see her smile, like I know you all wish you could as well. As the Lady of the Western Lands, no one could have done a better job. She was determined, courageous, helpful. More importantly, she cared. Everyone in this crowd is here, attending her funeral, because you cared. Whether you were her daughter, her son, her husband, her friend, her granchildren, or just someone she helped or passed by when she went out. You cared." His voice broke as his eyes welled with tears, there it was. They were beside him, Kagome on his right and Sesshomaru on his left. A hand grasped his shoulder, Sesshomaru's. An arm snaked around his waist, Kagome's.

"I just hope that right now, she is with the one person who she was in true love with. I hope that she is looking down on us and watching us, as if she was right here. I hope, that she knows I love her as well as our kids and grandkids." The tears fell as he stepped down from where the monk had been. Kagome was no longer there, nor Sesshomaru. But from the bewildered looks on his children, grandchildren, and nephew's faces - they had seen them too.

It was rumoured, by the crowd that had been there that day, that Kagome and Sesshomaru had been standing beside Inuyasha as he gave his speach. It was rumoured that they had saw them, too. That Lady Kagome and Lord Sesshomaru would forever protect the Western Lands. Their story was told for generations and generations, as era gave way to era and as each generation surpassed the previous. The stories never changed. Time gave way to the demons from Kagome's direct descent, as they passed on and went to live in the Netherworld with the Lady and Lord.

And it was true, somehow, Kagome's spirit always managed to make sure that the Western Land's, her people, were safe. Attacks onto the village's never last long and were never large. Crops didn't go bad when before winter. And the one thing that ensured everyone that she was watching over them, was the moon flowers. The moon flowers surrounding the castle were always in bloom and always beautiful. They never wilted, never died. They were constant.

She was known as the Angel of the Moon.

"Kagome Tashio  
Angel of the Moon  
Lady of the Western Lands  
_'love keeps us hoping, hope keeps us strong'_  
Rest in Peace"

* * *

My first Inuyasha one-shot. Hoped it was good and that you loved it! -grin- Review, leave me some comments. I love them!

-twotailedxxcat


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